


Stiles

by Dexterous_Sinistrous



Series: Tumblr Prompt Requests [5]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Movie Fusion, CEO Derek, M/M, Minor Chris Argent/Peter Hale, Minor Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Photographer Stiles, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 01:29:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4768457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dexterous_Sinistrous/pseuds/Dexterous_Sinistrous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles spent his youth growing up idolizing the Hales—mainly crushing on the charming bachelor, Peter. After embarrassing himself before his trip to Paris, he becomes determined to get over his ridiculous crush for a man he barely knows. But when he comes back, he's stuck between trying to move on from Peter's charms and rekindling a new flame with Derek—who has often been referred to as the world's only living heart donor.</p><p>Prompt: "My favorite movie of all time is definitely Sabrina and my head screams 'sterek!!!' everytime I watch it. Now that you open fic req will u pls write one loosely based from it pls i love u"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stiles

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr to fill a prompt request ([x](http://dexterous-sinistrous.tumblr.com/post/128726313862/my-favorite-movie-of-all-time-is-definitely)).
> 
> I really hope you meant _Sabrina_ (1995) with Harrison Ford. I never saw it before so went on Netflix and watched it in order to write this. I really hope this meets your expectations, considering it’s your favorite movie of all time. P.s. I love you too, and thank you for the prompt!

Of all the times Stiles imagined coming home to the Hales, it never played out like this in his mind. He had been in Paris for more than a year, spending his time working on a variety of photo shoots in order to perfect his photography skills, among other things. He was more confident now than the quiet, fumbling person he was when he left—he learned how and when to flirt, how to dress himself to impress, etc. But, he never imagined he would have come back home to have Peter Hale be gaping at him in surprised shock. He also never expected Peter to be actively flirting with him.

In all his years of watching the Hales from a distance, this was never a reality Stiles thought he would have. It was always a dream whenever he thought of moments like this—of being recognized, even to be valued by one of the wealthiest families in existence. Don’t get him wrong, Stiles loved the Hales; he loved being their neighbors. From a young age, Stiles discovered a constant playmate in Cora, the youngest of Talia’s children. Laura, the eldest, would often amuse them by enabling their childish games—Peter even smiled and laughed with them, only causing Stiles’ fascination with him to grow. Derek on the other hand usually ignored the both of them, often scowling whenever they would interrupt him, rarely offering a smile to Stiles whenever he managed to make him laugh.

Stiles’ embarrassment only skyrocketed when he finally decided to get drunk enough to confess how he felt to Peter the night before he left for Paris. To be fair, it was very romantic and the greatest idea drunk Stiles had ever heard at the time. It all went horribly wrong when Stiles told Peter to remain hidden from view as he practically cornered him in his room. He allowed himself to ramble endlessly about how he cared for him, having never said anything because he was afraid of being nothing more than the neighborhood kid with a crush. When the silence dragged on, Stiles begged him to say something. That was when the true horror set in. It wasn’t Peter, it was Derek.

Stiles ran in embarrassment before Derek could even utter a word. He fled like there was no tomorrow, and as far as Stiles was concerned, there wasn’t. He had hoped to move on. His hopes crumbled some when he heard news of Peter’s engagement to Chris Argent. He still weakly clung to the hopes that he could return to Beacon Hills and show Peter just how desirable he really was—that maybe confronting his desire in order to move on.

Instead, here Stiles stood next to Peter, listening to him go on about the party they were throwing for Laura. Peter didn’t even seem to recognize Stiles. His hair was longer, disheveled yet maintained; he no longer needed his glasses, which left him feeling as if his face was left opened. But despite the change, Peter hadn’t even acted as if he was seeing him again.

“The party is at nine,” Peter concluded. “Would you like to come?”

Stiles hesitated, shyly looking down before asking, “Do you want me to come?”

“Yes,” Peter honestly replied. “If you’ll tell me your name.”

Stiles’ stomach dropped, twisting and knotting as he realized that his first suspicions were correct. Despite his hints, and the fact that he stated his address was just next door to Peter’s, Peter had yet to realize it was him. That’s when the sinking feeling became final—he never saw him to begin with.

“Hello, Stiles,” Derek’s voice suddenly interrupted the moment. He casually moved from his car to retrieve the present for Laura out of the trunk.

“Stiles?” Peter turned to look at Derek in confusion.

“Hello, Derek,” Stiles weakly replied, turning his attention from Peter and towards Derek. He took in Derek’s appearance, noticing how he still looked the same—wearing one of his dark, expensive suits, his hair cut short, his beard perfectly trimmed. But even with all his accessories, making him look better than anyone Stiles ever met in Paris, he still looked unhappy.

“How was Paris?” Derek inquired, shifting Laura’s gift from one arm to another.

“Fascinating,” Stiles commented, feeling uncomfortable now that Peter knew, no longer having anonymity to hide behind.

“Stiles?” Peter questioned again as he finally turned his attention back to Stiles.

“You’re no longer wearing glasses,” Derek stated as he came to stand next to Peter, his eyes scanning over Stiles’ form as he ignored Peter.

“Huh? Oh, yes, I no longer need them,” Stiles shyly replied as he gestured towards his face.

“Stiles?” Peter questioned as he looked Stiles up and down.

“Why do you keep saying that?” Derek nearly snapped as he looked at Peter.

“I um, I should go,” Stiles quickly stated.

“Wait—” Peter started to move after Stiles.

“I’ll see you tonight,” Stiles rushed as he disappeared from view.

“Peter,” Derek sternly replied. “No.”

“What?” Peter questioned as he turned to look at Derek, tearing his eyes away from Stiles.

“No,” Derek repeated. “You leave him alone.”

“I don’t understand—”

“Peter!” Derek’s voice grew low and serious, a dangerous edge to it. “I said, no. Leave Stiles alone.”

“I merely asked him to the party,” Peter innocently added.

Derek narrowed his eyes as he glared at Peter.

“What?” Peter innocently asked.

“The Stilinskis have always been invited, every year, but haven’t come since Claudia’s death,” Derek nearly barked back at him as he made his way into the house.

~*~

“I don’t want you going,” the Sheriff sternly stated.

“Come on, dad,” Stiles sighed as he plopped down onto the couch. “I’ve never been to one, not since … not since mom passed.”

“I know,” the Sheriff softly replied, taking a seat on the couch next to Stiles. “But there’s a reason for that. The Hales are very different from everyone else in Beacon Hills, and you’ve always been attracted to that.”

“And because they’re rich, you want me to avoid them?” Stiles questioned.

“Because of your infatuation with Peter, I want you to avoid them,” the Sheriff sternly corrected him.

“It’s not an infatuation,” Stiles quickly stated in embarrassment. “I respect him.”

“I did not imagine you writing ‘Hale-Stilinski’ and ‘Stilinski-Hale’ all your notebooks when you were little,” the Sheriff dryly commented.

Stiles’ blush intensified as he forced himself to stand up. “I’m going,” he stated with finality. “I’m going to have champagne. I’m going to dance. And then, when the night’s all over—”

“You’ll turn back into a pumpkin?” the Sheriff quietly concluded.

Stiles released a small, sad laugh. “I know it is stupid, dad. But I’ve been waiting my whole life to be noticed. And once tomorrow comes, and I wake up from the dream, I’ll be able to leave all thoughts of the Hales behind.”

“Alright, kiddo,” the Sheriff finally caved. “But I’d like you to be back by midnight. Do you think that’s enough time to dance with the prince?”

Stiles released a small laugh, nodding. “I think that’s long enough.”

~*~

Stiles took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down before taking the first step into the Hale party. He knew his way around the grounds, having run around enough times with Cora. But tonight was different. He was experiencing them in a new light.

There were plenty of fancy tables, elegant and charming women and men, a live band. It was everything Stiles thought he could remember about Hale parties, having come once before with his mother and father. It had been so long ago, Stiles was certain it was just a dream.

“Stiles?” a familiar female voice caught his attention, drawing him away from the grandeur of it all. “Oh my God, it is you!”

Stiles smiled as Cora pulled him into a hug.

“Stiles, what are you doing here? You and your dad never come to these things!” Cora stated in a hurry as she pulled back from him, landing a playful punch on his shoulder. “I wish you had come to my birthday party instead of Laura’s, now she is going to think she’s important.”

“I’m sorry, Cora,” Stiles honestly apologized. He had spent so long being charmed by Peter’s entire existence, he never truly thought about how lonely it must have been for Cora. As far as Stiles knew, he was the only friend she had besides her siblings, and they were old enough that they out grew her at every turn.

“Don’t apologize, just make sure to show up the next time,” Cora smiled. “Wait until he hears you’re here. He didn’t think you’d come.”

Stiles ducked his head, a faint blush forming on his cheeks as he nodded to himself. He worried his bottom lip before giving Cora a confident smile. “I came because he invited me.”

“Really?” Cora skeptically asked. “I would never have guessed. He’s going to be excited, even if he doesn’t show it.”

“I think you’re overstating it,” Stiles answered.

“No way,” Cora replied. “He asked your dad every time they had their monthly lunch how you’ve been. If you were enjoying Paris.”

“He’s been having lunch with my dad?” Stiles questioned as he looked at Cora.

“Yeah,” Cora dryly replied. “He likes to pretend it’s business related, but he totally just has a soft spot for you and your dad—mostly you, even if he won’t admit it to Laura or me.”

Stiles smiled, his previous fears at Peter not remembering him began to fade. Maybe Derek had told Peter about his love confession, which made Peter realize that Stiles was a viable option. The possibilities were endless, but all made Stiles feel warm and fuzzy to his core.

“Look who I found,” Cora playful announced as she presented Stiles, whose arm she was still linked with.

Stiles looked up to see both Laura and Derek staring at him.

Laura’s eyes widened briefly before her smile widened. “I’ve missed you, Stilinski!” she cried as she pulled him into a hug. “Don’t you ever go to Paris again. I don’t care if I set it up or not. I missed your presence. And what happened with your look?” She questioned as she released him.

“He outgrew his glasses,” Derek quietly commented.

“I can see that,” Laura replied. “Why didn’t you tell me he was back?” She poked Derek’s chest to catch his attention.

“It’s not my business to announce other people’s arrivals home when they might want to _hide_ from you,” Derek almost growled.

“Stiles isn’t hiding,” Laura replied. “He’s doing the opposite. He’s actually blossoming.” She smiled at Stiles’ nervous laugh, quickly turning to eye Derek, who only glared at her in warning.

"And you didn't think he would come," Cora taunted.

Derek turned his glare at Cora in response.

“Before I forget, happy birthday, Laura,” Stiles offered as a way to break the tension. He felt himself deflate some when he realized Peter once again had no interest in Stiles what-so-ever. But something warmed him at knowing the Hale siblings were all looking forward to seeing him—especially Derek.

“Aw, thanks, kiddo,” Laura smiled as she placed her hands on her hips. “But that doesn’t let you off so easily. Tell me, what’s different this time?”

Derek coughed, clearing his throat loudly as a way to tell Laura to leave it alone.

“Easy, Der-Bear,” Laura replied, slapping a hand on Derek’s back as she mockingly tried to help him knock his cough free.

“Stiles said that he came because he was invited,” Cora commented, hoping to move the conversation back into the direction Laura had it going.

“Cora,” Stiles turned his attention towards her, scowling as if she had just admitted to a secret.

“I thought Derek invited you and your dad every year,” Laura stated out of curiosity, her eyes moving towards Derek.

“My dad didn’t like to come—my mom loved these parties the most, and I think it hurts him to be here without her,” Stiles explained.

“I’m sorry, Stiles,” Laura replied, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

~*~

Derek kept an eye on Stiles throughout the night, watching Peter conversing with him. He hated the way Stiles smiled whenever Peter said something amusing. He hated the way Peter’s hands fit snuggly against Stiles’ back as they danced. He hated just how in love Stiles looked when he looked up at Peter with his hopeful doe eyes.

Derek waited until Peter left Stiles on the dance floor, heading over to the bar to retrieve a bottle of champagne. He swiftly cut off Peter’s retreating form, gesturing his head towards the house. When Peter tried to protest, he grabbed Peter’s arm, physically pulling him into the house.

“Why did you pull me away, dear nephew?” Peter asked in an annoyed voice.

“You know why,” Derek answered with a glare. His gaze turned towards the door as Laura hurried inside. “You’re getting married to Chris in a few months.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Laura questioned as soon as she shut the door behind her. “You were hustling Stiles!”

“I can’t have a drink with an old friend?” Peter innocently questioned.

“Do I look stupid? I swear, I’ve never thought of myself as stupid before. But I must look it,” Laura complained as she moved to deflate against the couch.

“I’ve done nothing—”

“You were planning on doing something!” Laura raised her voice.

“I don’t understand how you could think I’d—”

“Are you serious?” Derek remarked. “You’ve slept your way through every single person in our social circle. Now you’ve moved on to harassing anyone left. You are not going to sleep with Stiles.”

“I can’t believe my niece and nephew are talking to me about this,” Peter spoke to no one in general.

“Exactly our point, Peter,” Laura started. “Stiles is younger than us, and has seen you as a parental figure.”

“The last thing Stiles has seen me as is a parental figure,” Peter curtly replied.

“Oh, this is ridiculous,” Laura sighed in aggravation. “Derek, I love Stiles as much as you do, but if he’s going to be stupid enough to sleep with Peter, that’s his own fault. _Everyone_ knows how much of a player he is.”

Derek caught a glimpse of the two champagne glasses in the back pockets of Peter’s pants. His eyebrows furrowed, completely understanding just what Peter intended to do—charm his way into Stiles heart and his arms, before cruelly ending it like he did with all his conquests. And he wasn’t going to let Peter hurt Stiles like that.

“Peter, sit down,” Derek suddenly stated.

“I have to go see Stiles,” Peter replied.

“Sit. Down,” Derek sternly replied.

“I don’t understand why—” Peter started as he moved to sit, yelping in pain when the glasses cracked and shattered, stabbing into him.

“What’s wrong?” Laura asked in concern as she moved to Peter’s aid.

“He sat on the glasses,” Derek calmly replied, moving to exit the room. “I’ll go grab Deaton, he’s at the bar. And don’t worry about Stiles, I’ll talk with him.”

~*~

Derek quietly glanced through the door of the solarium, watching Stiles moved past row after row of plants and flowers. He watched as Stiles lifted one of the flowers towards his nose, inhaling the soft fragrance. He allowed himself to smile at seeing the joy cross Stiles’ face at the simple way the flower smelled.

Derek walked into the solarium, glasses softly clinking together with the champagne bottle in his other hand. He paused at the steps as Stiles turned to look at him. He tried to not feel disappointed by the way Stiles smile fell into a frown when he saw Derek.

“Hello,” Derek greeted him as he descended the steps.

Stiles reached a hand up to twirl a strand of hair between his fingertips. He nibbled at his bottom lip, unsure what to say. “Hello, Derek,” he softly replied.

“Sorry, but Peter’s not coming,” Derek stated as he moved to set the champagne glasses on the brick lip around the plants.

“I should have guessed,” Stiles solemnly replied. “Did he say why he’s not coming?”

“He’s on the way to the hospital,” Derek stated, popping the champagne bottle.

“The hospital?” Stiles questioned in concern as his eyes watched the champagne bottle. “Is he alright?”

“He’ll be fine,” Derek commented as he poured the liquid into the glasses.

“Oh,” Stiles suddenly stated, realization crossing his face. “I see,” he took the champagne glass Derek offered him, turning to walk away from him. “So you came here to shoo me away?”

“Shoo you?” Derek asked in a thoughtful tone, placing the champagne bottle down next to one of the plant pots.

“You know, in the romance novels, the lawyer always comes to the unworthy showgirl, or waitress and tells her that the family is willing to pay her $100,000 to stay away from their eligible bachelor,” Stiles explained. “No, she says. Then the lawyer offers $150,000. No, she defiantly replies,” a small amused smile crossed Stiles’ face as he thought of the whole incident, thinking about himself as the heroine of some novel.

“A million,” Derek abruptly cut Stiles off, his tone serious and determined.

Stiles’ eyes widened in shock as he lowered the champagne glass from his lips, pausing to stare at Derek. “No,” his voice partially croaked in response.

Derek smiled. “I knew you’d say no,” he honestly replied. “I’m glad you did and proved me right.”

“Then what is this?” Stiles asked, looking down at the champagne glass. “Are you trying to humiliate me because of that night?”

“You thought I was him that night,” Derek offered.

“I was drunk and stupid,” Stiles quietly replied.

“As most of Peter’s conquests are,” Derek commented. He watched Stiles flinch in response.

“I was embarrassed and afraid that you’d be upset with me,” Stiles finally confessed.

“Why would I be upset with you?” Derek curiously asked.

“Because I’m poor,” Stiles replied.

“Poor?” Derek arched his eyebrow. “It’s not the 18th century, Stiles. People are allowed to fall in love with people of different standing.”

“But I’m still not worthy of dating a Hale, right?” Stiles asked as he looked up through his eyelashes at Derek.

“You shouldn’t want to date a Hale,” Derek replied in a low voice. “Least of all Peter.”

Stiles paused, watching Derek’s features. “What about you?” He shyly asked.

Derek carefully eyed Stiles before looking down at his champagne glass, answering, “Especially me.”

“I’m sorry,” Stiles replied. “I shouldn’t have come tonight. I shouldn’t have … I should go now.”

Derek watched Stiles hurry to place the champagne glass down, turning to briskly move past Derek. He was surprised when Stiles hesitated, his movements suggesting a silent argument with himself. “Peter will be home tomorrow,” he reluctantly offered, causing Stiles to look back at him. “You can visit him then.”

Derek hated the way Stiles looked at him in earnest. He hated the way Stiles smiled at him before thanking him. He hated that he offered Stiles a chance to see Peter, just so Stiles would smile. But most of all, he hated himself for caring about Stiles Stilinski ever since before he left for Paris.

~*~

Derek was much different from that night onward. He actually encouraged Stiles to spend more time around the family home, as well as spending time with the Hales in general. Derek would often steer Stiles away from Laura and Cora, as if he was trying to prevent them from saying something to Stiles.

It took Peter much longer than expected to recuperate from sitting on the champagne glasses, constantly in and out of consciousness whenever Stiles tried to visit him. At one point, he mumbled something about being an Alpha, to which Stiles tried to hold in his laughter until Peter fell asleep once more.

Stiles found himself spending his evenings in Derek’s company, conversing about their newfound interests. Derek, for his part, played into the part of the hard working CEO he had been casted as. He had few active interests here and there, ranging from reading to restoring old cars. Stiles smiled when he thought of Derek Hale covered in grease and oil, his face suddenly flushing as his mind turned the vision into an extremely bad porno.

Derek appeared to be genuinely invested in Stiles’ interests. He listened, smiling and offering his own thoughts and comments as Stiles rambled on about photography and his time spent in Paris.

That was how Derek asked Stiles about photographing a few buildings for the company. Derek offered to show Stiles around, often ducking out of the way whenever Stiles turned the camera’s lens towards him. Stiles would laugh before turning back to the buildings. He was slyly satisfied with himself when he managed to get Derek’s photo when he longingly looked out at the old lighthouse. He smiled to himself as he imagined how the photo would come out.

Stiles was nervous when he met Derek at his office, afraid the photos weren’t what he was looking for. He paced around the office as Derek slowly shuffled through them, his head turning to the side every now and again as he examined the detail.

“You’re photogenic,” Stiles idly admitted as he continued to inspect Derek’s office with indefinite intrigue.

“It’s because I’m attractive,” Derek dryly replied as he continued to flip through the photos.

“No, that’s not it,” Stiles corrected. “Photos tend to find the other layers of people that they try to hide away. You being handsome has nothing to do with it.”

“Handsome, huh?” Derek tried to sound unimpressed with the compliment.

“You know you’re handsome,” Stiles replied. “But you’re not handsome enough to twist my arm into showering you with compliments.” _You’re too handsome to do that_.

“I’m photogenic but not as handsome as Peter,” Derek replied.

“No one is as handsome as Peter,” Stiles replied. “Not even Peter.”

“Don’t tell him that until he fully recovers,” Derek stated. “He’ll be in the hospital indefinitely then.”

Stiles laughed, ducking his chin as he snuck a glance at Derek. He allowed a small silence to fall over them before he finally spoke. “Do you remember that afternoon we spent together?”

Derek looked up from the photos, his eyes carefully evaluating Stiles. He raised his eyebrows, an inaudible invitation for Stiles to specify.

“I was probably … twelve at the time,” Stiles answered as a look of remembrance fell over his features. “You had snuck out with your girlfriend. I wasn’t supposed to be over, but Cora and I had the day off from school because of teacher conferences. She snuck me over. We were trying to find something to do together.”

“And you both thought it was a good idea to play with my model airplane,” Derek finished.

Stiles tried to stop the small blush creeping along his cheeks. “I was the one that crashed it, and Cora started to panic. She went to go get a ladder, but I thought I could climb the tree.”

“And you fell,” Derek recalled.

“And I fell,” Stiles stated. “Next thing I knew, there you were, picking me up like I weighed nothing. I remember Cora freaking out when you brought me inside.”

“You broke your arm and didn’t cry,” Derek added. “You were brave.”

“I think I was more afraid of you than the break,” Stiles honestly answered. “Everyone was.”

Derek was watching Stiles’ expressions, not entirely surprised by his confession.

“I don’t mean that as a bad thing,” Stiles corrected. “I meant that everyone was always busy trying to please Talia, or impress Laura, or be charmed by Peter.” He turned his body to inspect the objects ornamenting the shelves of Derek’s office. “I always saw you as the lonely kid … just like me. And everyone avoided you because they were used to being afraid of you.”

“But you weren’t.”

“Not after that,” Stiles admitted.

“Why?” Derek weakly asked.

“Because after Derek Hale gets grass stains on his expensive pants and carries you in his arms all the way back to the main house, you tend to stop being afraid of him, despite the name,” Stiles explained as he looked up at Derek. He bit down on his bottom lip as his stomach swooped in reaction to the longing and understanding in Derek’s gaze.

Derek looked down at the photos in his hands. “These are all really good, Stiles. You shouldn’t give up on this.”

“I’m still perfecting it,” Stiles answered, almost glad that Derek changed the topic.

“They look pretty perfect to me,” Derek replied as he stood, placing the photos on the coffee table as he stretched out his hand to offer the envelope containing the check to Stiles.

Stiles smiled as he reached out to take the envelope. His fingers barely grazed Derek’s before enclosing around the parchment. He noticed how hesitant Derek seemed to let go. “Thank you for the opportunity, Derek.” He nodded, quickly heading for the door.

“I wasn’t mad about the plane,” Derek suddenly stated.

Stiles paused at the door, turning to look at Derek.

“It was just a toy,” Derek added. “I was more worried about you.”

“I know,” Stiles shyly replied.

~*~

_“Cora, Derek’s going to be mad,” Stiles argued as he followed her outside._

_“He’s out with Kate,” Cora gagged as she said the woman’s name. “He’ll never know we touched it.” She placed the plane on the grass, fiddling with the control as she tried to get it to fly._

_“He spent more than a week building that,” Stiles quietly commented. “He worked really hard.”_

_“And what’s the point in working hard if you aren’t going to enjoy it,” Cora answered. She jumped up and down when she finally got the plane in the air. She panicked when she noticed it arching too high._

_“Cora!” Stiles yelled her name as he made a move to grab the control, both of them struggling to get it to land. He felt his stomach twist and drop when the plane crashed into the top of the old oak tree growing in the middle of the Hale’s yard._

_Stiles began to panic more when he heard a car coming up the driveway. Both of them knew it was Derek’s Camaro._

_“Oh shit,” Cora hurriedly swore as she dropped the control. “There’s a ladder in the garage,” she quickly stated as she started to run._

_Stiles looked after her, hesitating as the sound of the Camaro’s engine drew closer. He made up his mind, running towards the tree, deciding that he could climb to the plane. It didn’t look far, loosely settled in one of the low branches of the tree, much lower than some of the trees Stiles climbed in his own yard. He focused on climbing, hurrying when he heard the engine of the Camaro shut off._

_The branch he reached for seemed sturdy enough. However, once he grasped it, the branch buckled under his full weight. He screamed as he plummeted down to the ground, placing his hands out in front of him in order to break his fall. He heard the snapping of his arm before he felt the pain stab through him._

_“Stiles!”_

_Stiles groaned as he rolled onto his back, tears prickling his eyes as he tried to focus on something besides the pain. He turned his head to the side to see the plane had been jostled free by his fall, and that none other than Derek Hale was running towards him from the driveway._

_Derek ran past the forgotten plane, sliding to a halt in front of Stiles as he moved to kneel by him. “Are you hurt?” He asked, his eyes quickly scanning Stiles when the twelve year old didn’t answer him. He turned his head to see Cora running towards them with a ladder before halting._

_“Fuck,” Cora swore before biting down on her lips when Derek scowled at her._

_“What the hell did you do, Cora?” Derek demanded in anger._

_“We didn’t do anything,” Cora snapped back. “We were playing and the plane got caught in the tree. I told Stiles I was going to get the ladder.”_

_“Go inside and call Deaton,” Derek snapped as he looked back at Stiles. “And put the ladder back.”_

_“Is Stiles okay?” Cora asked as she started to back away._

_Stiles silently nodded._

_“He will be if you go call Deaton,” Derek replied._

_“God, you’re such a buttface,” Cora called back to him as she ran back towards the house._

_“Derek,” a woman’s voice called from the Camaro. “We’re going to be late.”_

_Derek turned his head towards the woman before looking back at Stiles. “I can’t leave Stiles and Cora alone,” he finally answered as he moved to pick Stiles up. He took Stiles’ silence as confirmation that he was too hurt to even move, but he was thankful for the absence of tears on Stiles’ behalf._

_“You’re going to skip the party to stay here with a couple of kids?” The woman incredulously asked._

_“I’m not leaving them, Kate,” Derek answered as he stood with Stiles secured in his arms._

_“This is unbelievable,” Kate huffed._

_“Take the Camaro then,” Derek answered as he headed towards the house._

_“Fine,” Kate answered. “I’ll call you later.”_

_Stiles focused his sight on his arm, watching the way his skin started to turn purple from the break. He tried to ignore the warmth he felt spread through his chest, amazed at just how gentle Derek was carry him. He looked over Derek’s shoulder, catching sight of the model plane completely forgotten on the grass. It wasn’t until Derek set him on the couch, snatching the phone from Cora in order to talk with Deaton, that he realized Derek’s pants were covered in grass stains. He tried to keep his gaze to himself, almost unable to pull back from staring at those grass stains._

_From that day onward, Stiles wasn’t as afraid of Derek as before._

~*~

“What are you doing?” Laura asked as she slipped through the door of Derek’s office. She waited in her office until she saw that Stiles had left. In all their time working together, she never knew Derek to spend a workday meeting with anyone beside clients. The smile on Derek’s face sparked her interest more than anything else, completely overtaking her will power and forcing her to confront her brother.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Derek answered as he poured over his notes, pretending he didn’t just say goodbye to Stiles.

“With Stiles,” Laura replied, hunching over Derek’s desk.

“Stiles and I are friends,” Derek curtly replied.

“Bull shit,” Laura snapped, causing Derek to look up at her. “You’ve liked him since we were kids. That’s why you scowled at him every change you got. Now you’re laughing and joking with each other, acting like two sick lovebirds.”

“It’s none of your business,” Derek’s voice was low with warning.

“None of my business,” Laura echoed. “Fine, you’re right. But as Stiles’ friend, I am concerned about him.”

“You only care about meddling,” Derek replied.

“Tell me the circling rumors about you aren’t true, Derek. I never thought of you that way, but tell me I’m right,” Laura softly asked.

“I am what I am, Laura,” Derek answered.

“Prove to me that you aren’t the world’s only living heart donor, then,” Laura almost challenged.

“And why should I?”

“Because I know you’re not, but I’m not so sure you know you’re not,” Laura explained as she moved to collapse against the plush cushions of the couch. She easily crossed her legs as she let her head hang against the back of the chair. “Come on, Der-bear,” she softly pleaded.

“I’m going to Paris with Stiles tomorrow,” Derek suddenly stated.

“Erica told me,” Laura answered as she focused on the ceiling.

“She has to stop doing that. She’s my secretary, not yours,” Derek commented.

“She was worried. We both are,” Laura began to sit up some, her head lolling to the side in order to catch sight of Derek. “Are you doing this for yourself or for the company?”

Derek looked down at his paperwork as he busied himself with signing the necessary papers.

“Peter forgets about Stiles and marries Chris. Hale Industries merges with Argent Technology,” Laura paused. “But at what cost, Derek?”

“This was the plan from the first moment Peter set eyes on Stiles,” Derek stated. “Peter wanted another conquest, only to ruin what he had.”

“Derek Samuel Hale,” Laura gravely spoke his name as she sat up completely straight in the chair. “Don’t you dare tell me you’ve been playing Stiles for the past few weeks.”

“I made him realize his infatuation with Peter was changeable,” Derek stated as if it was a harmless thing to do.

“And what happens to Stiles when you get to Paris?” Laura demanded. “You just drop him off and come back yourself?”

“Stiles grows up,” Derek coldly answered.

Laura stared at her brother, a look of disbelief twisting her features. She shook her head as she stood, moving to exit his office without another word. She paused before turning to look at Derek. “I don’t believe you,” she softly stated, forcing Derek to look up at her. “You’ve always put this company before yourself, out of some twisted need to repent for what happened to mom and dad. You weren’t driving the car, Derek, and you weren’t to blame for the other driver. Mom and dad … they wanted us to be happy, despite being members of a family with a giant dollar sign on our heads.

“And they loved Stiles,” Laura added. “They loved him and what he brought out in you. And I think you do too. I’ve seen you smile more in the past few days than I have in years, Derek. Why can’t you just go and be happy with him?”

“It was nothing more than a business transaction,” Derek snapped. “I feel nothing more for Stiles than he feels for me.” He thought if he said it out loud, it would make him believe it. It didn’t.

“You won’t let yourself be happy, will you? You’d rather push away someone who loves you than risk falling yourself,” Laura paused as she studied Derek. “Then I pity you for not seeing how deeply he cares for you,” she added before exiting his office. She allowed the door to slam shut behind her, hoping it was loud enough to knock something into Derek.

~*~

“I was really happy when you called,” Stiles started as he slowly stepped towards Derek, feeling more at ease in his office. “You, um, you didn’t say what this was about,” he continued, a faint blush creeping up his neck as he hopefully looked up at Derek.

Derek leaned against his desk, his hand curling up under the edge as his nails dug into the mahogany. He wanted to kiss Stiles, he wanted to run away to Paris with him, he wanted it to be true. He wanted to be better than Peter, to be desired by the one thing Peter never could have—everything Stiles was.

“I have a gift for you,” Derek finally answered Stiles. His voice sounded distant—hollow even. “You said you always wanted to see Paris again,” he stated as he moved to hold out the ticket he had Erica purchase for him.

Stiles hesitated as he moved forward, reaching out to take the folded ticket from Derek. He stared down at the folded packet, slowly sliding his thumb through the packet to open to the page. His name was neatly typed next to the assigned seat in first class. His eyebrows furrowed before he looked up at Derek. “Are you …” He released a sorrowful laugh as he ducked his head. “Are you trying to send me away?”

Derek tried to keep his heart from breaking with the way Stiles was looking at him. “Look at the next page,” he softly offered.

Stiles hesitated before flipping to the next page to find a second ticket. He couldn’t stop the smile crossing his lips when he saw Derek’s name on the ticket. “You … You want to go with me?” He hopefully asked.

“You said you found yourself there,” Derek answered. “Maybe you could help me find myself there, too.”

Stiles released a joyful laugh as he moved forward, wrapping his arms around Derek’s neck. He laughed against Derek’s shoulder as he closed his eyes. “You have no idea how happy I am,” he admitted. “For the longest time, I thought … I thought you hated me. I thought you hated everyone that even looked in your general direction.”

“Thanks,” Derek sarcastically stated through a weak laugh.

“I don’t mean it like that,” Stiles happily stated as he pulled back. He cupped Derek’s face in his hands, his thumb gently running along Derek’s cheekbone. He slowly leaned forward, halting as he waited for Derek’s consent to continue.

Derek hated himself for wanting it. He hated himself for leaning forward, capturing Stiles’ lips with his own. He hated how much he loved the feeling of his arms wrapped around Stiles’ waist, his body lithe and pliant against his chest as if he belonged there all along. He hated just how good—how right—Stiles felt.

“I can’t,” Derek suddenly breathed against Stiles’ lips, pulling back from him completely as he set Stiles down.

“What’s wrong?” Stiles asked as he let his arms slip from Derek’s neck, his hands sliding down Derek’s shoulders to rest on his forearms. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed, I just thought—”

“It’s not that, it’s not … you,” Derek finally answered, moving to get out of Stiles’ reach.

“Derek, what’s wrong?” Stiles asked in concern, his hands barely holding onto the tickets.

“I lied to you, Stiles,” Derek finally answered, his back turned towards him.

Stiles remained silent as he watched Derek rake his hand through his hand.

“I lied because you were getting in the way,” Derek fought back the bile rising in his throat. “You were making Peter question his engagement—it was threatening the merger between the two companies. You were in the way, so I moved you.”

Stiles turned towards Derek’s desk, his trembling hands moving out as they reached for support against the desk. “You … you lied to me. Why?” He weakly asked. “That night in the solarium … you could have—if you just told me, I would have left.”

“You knew Peter was engaged, everyone knows,” Derek answered. “You knew he was supposed to get married, yet you sought him out.”

“I came to the party because you invite me and my father every year,” Stiles replied. “I came because I wanted to be able to be the one person to tell Peter no. I wanted to be able to finally get over my stupid childhood obsession with him. And you … You were …”

“I was everything you hoped Peter was,” Derek bitterly answered.

Stiles turned to glare a hole in Derek’s back. “I thought you were everything Peter wasn’t,” he stated in anger, his voice wavering. “I guess I was wrong.”

Derek kept his back to Stiles, listening to the sound of paper rustling before Stiles slammed something down on the desk. His eyes lingered on Stiles’ angered form as he stalked towards the office door. He wished Stiles didn’t pause at the office door, that he’d just keep walking, and leave him behind.

Stiles turned his head, not looking at Derek as his hand tightened on the doorknob. “Tell Peter I hope he has a wonderful wedding that makes him happy. And I hope you have a wonderful _merger_ that makes you happy.”

And with that, Stiles was gone.

Derek turned to look at the desk, noticing that Stiles had left the ticket with Derek’s name on it. He sighed when he heard Erica’s heels clacking as she entered the office.

“What the hell was that?” Erica questioned. “I thought I’d be seeing you two skipping out of here with hearts in your eyes.”

Derek ignored her as he moved to sit behind his desk. “Have that ticket changed into Peter’s name.”

“What?” Erica questioned. “Your uncle—”

“Is going to Paris instead of getting married,” Derek corrected her.

“He’s in the waiting room. Stiles stormed by him and almost knocked him over,” Erica answered as she placed her hands on her hips.

“Take the ticket, and change it,” Derek growled.

“Fine, waste your happily ever after,” Erica snapped as she moved to snatch the ticket from Derek’s desk. “What do you want me to do with your uncle?”

“Tell him to call Laura and the Argents,” Derek answered. “I’ll meet with them as soon as they get here. Tell him he has a plane to catch.”

Erica arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow before silently exiting Derek’s office.

~*~

Derek was startled when Laura and Cora both burst through the doors of his office, Allison Argent walking behind them.

“Where’s Chris?” Derek asked as he watched Cora plop down onto his couch, Allison sitting next to her.

Laura moved to lean against Derek’s desk, her arms crossed over her chest. “He’s with Peter,” she stated. “I don’t want to know what they are doing in his office.”

“Peter?” Derek questioned. “He’s supposed to be in Paris.”

“Why am I in Paris?” Peter questioned as he walked into the office, holding hands with Chris. He turned to look at Chris. “We’re not going to Paris for our honeymoon, are we?”

“I’d prefer somewhere else,” Chris answered.

“Whatever you want,” Peter smiled.

“What the hell is this meeting about?” Cora sighed. “I don’t even work for the company.”

“Peter’s going to Paris,” Derek restated.

“Why am I going to Paris?” Peter asked as he looked at Derek.

“Dad,” Allison stated in surprise when she saw his hand. “You’re wearing a wedding ring.”

“That’s what we wanted to announce,” Chris explained.

“We eloped,” Peter happily answered.

“Oh thank God,” Laura sighed. “I did not want to experience that wedding.”

“You wound me,” Peter dryly replied.

“You’re a total attention whore, it was going to be a circus,” Laura replied.

“You are a bit of an attention whore,” Chris agreed as he scratched at his beard.

“You’re my husband, you’re supposed to defend me,” Peter answered.

“What about Stiles?” Derek demanded.

“Stiles? What about Stiles?” Peter asked.

“What is a Stiles?” Chris questioned.

“Cora’s childhood friend, had a crush on Peter growing up,” Laura explained. “Now he’s gone on Derek.” She turned to side-eye Derek.

“I’m happily married, as you can see,” Peter lifted his left hand to display the gold ring resting there on his finger.

“You’re what he’s always wanted,” Derek snapped. “And you’ve been blind to it, like the self obsessed idiot you are.”

“What are you rambling on about?” Peter questioned with a sigh.

“He’s liked you since he was little,” Derek stated as if it was obvious for so long. He moved from behind his desk, moving past Laura. “You were always the flashy, charming older guy running around the estate.”

“You sound jealous of that,” Peter commented as he eyed Derek. “I’ll admit, the boy grew up nicely,” he added, watching Derek bristle under the comment. “In fact, I think he’d be quite a nice additional notch in the belt. Maybe we could spice up our sex life after all,” he looked over at Chris, catching the way he rolled his eyes at Peter as Allison groaned. “Although, I would feel rather funny accepting my nephew’s hand-me-downs. Don’t worry, though, when he ran into me in the waiting room, I did tell him that he’d be well taken care of for services rendered.”

Derek reacted quicker than Peter thought he would. He punched Peter hard enough to cause him to stumble backwards onto the couch.

“Derek!” Laura yelled as she wrapped her arms around Derek’s waist, holding him tightly as she pulled him away from Peter.

“I told you!” Peter pointed at Derek, cupping his jaw with his other hand. “He loves him.”

Chris knelt down beside Peter, inspecting his bloodied lip. “I told you this was a stupid plan,” he partially mumbled. “At least we got our wedding photo taken already.”

“What?” Derek snapped, trying to get out of Laura’s hold, completely lost in the conversation.

“You love Stiles, you always have,” Peter stated as Chris helped him stand. “That’s why you were so pissed at the idea of me being anywhere near him.”

“You’re all packed,” Erica announced as she walked into the office, small duffle bag in hand.

“What?” Derek incredulously demanded.

“I gave her the key to your apartment,” Laura explained.

“I will say, I enjoyed being up to my elbows in Derek Hale’s underwear drawer,” Erica slyly smiled. “You have very nice boxer briefs.”

“If you go now, you should be able to get there before Stiles,” Laura quickly stated. “Erica changed your ticket for another flight, but it reaches Paris before Stiles’ does.”

“Derek, go,” Peter stated. “We all love you and can’t believe half of the things you’ve done for this company, but you’re miserable. Go be with Stiles—go be happy.”

Derek looked at the ticket and bag Erica held out to him. “I … He hates me,” he finally stated.

“Tell him how you feel and he won’t,” Cora stated. “I’ve seen him giving you heart eyes.”

“Don’t think, Derek,” Chris answered. “Just go. We can handle the everything from here.”

Derek looked around the office before finally moving to take the ticket and bag from Erica. “Don’t you dare say—”

“I told you so? Don’t worry, you can just give me a nice bonus,” Erica smiled as she placed a small kiss on Derek’s cheek. “Go get him.”

Derek shot a glare over his shoulder when Erica playfully smacked his butt.

“So, do I have to be here?” Cora questioned once Derek left.

Peter started to hand out small packets of information, everyone else in the office ignoring Cora’s plea to leave. “I’ve set up a packet for what we’ll have to focus on with the merger before—”

Laura’s eyes widened as she flipped through the packet. “Peter, when did you—”

“You’ve been sending me copies of the memos for years, Laura,” Peter sighed. “You just assumed I couldn’t read.”

“I still don’t think you can read,” Cora muttered.

Laura snickered as she settled down next to Cora.

~*~

Stiles thanked the cab driver as he paid, moving to pull his suitcase up the old stairs. He looked at the building, frowning as he thought about what he could have had with Derek here. _If only he loved me_ , he bitterly thought as he pushed all hopes away of being desired by someone he actually loved.

It was hard for Stiles to admit to himself that he fell in love with Derek, certain that he would never admit loving someone in general. But Derek was everything that Stiles loved about his times spent with the Hales. Every fond memory was spent in Derek’s presence, every time he thought about the small moments they shared—the time he actually managed to make Derek smile were often the best.

“Stiles.”

Stiles halted his movements, turning away from the building as he looked for the owner of the voice calling his name. He froze when he saw Derek standing across the street, his body propped against the old brick wall. He noticed Derek was the same suit he from when he gave him the ticket, his duffle bag small but large enough to live off of for a week.

“Derek,” Stiles breathed his name in disbelief. “What are you—”

“I lied,” Derek hurriedly answered, moving to cross the deserted night street to stand in front of Stiles. “I lied to you because I was convinced someone like you could never feel anything for someone like me. Because somewhere deep down … I don’t think I deserve to be happy.”

Stiles furrowed his eyebrows as he abandoned his suitcase on the top step, taking the steps necessary to be standing in front of Derek. “Then why are you here?”

Derek took a deep breath, looking away from Stiles before he finally admitted, “I haven’t been happy in years. I haven’t allowed myself to be happy since my parents died. But then … you always made it your job to make me laugh, or smile when we were younger. And then you came back and you started doing that all over again.

“I’m saying that I pushed you away because I didn’t want you to save me from my pathetic excuse of a life. Because … because I love you,” Derek stated as he looked up at Stiles. “I love you and I don’t deserve you.”

Stiles released a shaky breath, reaching a hand out to take Derek’s. He gently massaged his thumb against Derek’s knuckles, causing Derek to longingly stare up at him. “But what if I want to save you?”

“You shouldn’t want to,” Derek softly answered.

“But I love you, too,” Stiles stated, leaning in to kiss Derek.

Derek closed the gap between them, his hands cupping Stiles’ cheeks as he held him close. Their kisses were slow, unhurried but filled with urgency as they clung to each other.

“I’m sorry,” Derek whispered against Stiles’ lips.

Stiles shook his head as he placed more kisses on Derek’s lips. “Don’t apologize,” he smiled into their kiss. “You love me,” he fondly answered.

“And you love me,” Derek echoed, smiling when Stiles laughed as he wrapped his arms around his neck, tightly clinging to each other.

Of all the times Stiles imagined coming back to Paris, it never played out like this in his mind. Being with Derek was better than any dream Stiles ever had. It was a reality that he never thought he would have. He was surprisingly fond of the idea of Peter being married off to another, being able to give himself to Derek was better than any fantasy he had of imagining what Peter’s affections would feel like. Derek helped Stiles as much as he helped him, both of them wandering throughout Paris without a worry as they found themselves in one another arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to join me on tumblr:
> 
> [drunklightning](http://drunklightning.tumblr.com) is my blog where I reblog anything I find of interest.
> 
> [dexterous-sinistrous](http://dexterous-sinistrous.tumblr.com) is suited towards my ramblings about my writing, and NSFW. (It's where I serenade myself about Sterek). It's my trashcan of emotions. Feel free to stop by and say hi, criticize me, make incoherent noises with me, whatevs.
> 
> [Send](http://dexterous-sinistrous.tumblr.com/ask) me any prompts you think you'd like to have me write!


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